‘The Flash’ takes off in a sprint; fans left trailing

Sometimes we want something to be good so badly that we look past how flawed it really is.

So what if your brother is a bum and the Astros haven’t made it to the playoffs in nearly a decade? You can’t help but love them, and nobody can tell you to do otherwise.

The same concept applies to The CW’s “The Flash.” With dialogue cheesy like cheddar — and not the sharp kind — and CGI that barely scrapes past acceptable, one might start to question how the show even got onto the air. That is, until it’s remembered that this is The Flash.

One might wonder what gives the Flash so much room for error. It’s the same reason that “Arrow” and “Smallville” survived their first seasons: people love their superheroes.

Fans have been taught to never give up hope, and a bad first season is just the formulaic fall before learning a lesson and beating the odds against a villain.

“The Flash” might not be good yet, but it shows hope, which is the most important characteristic of any superhero or superhero show. Superhero TV shows might not have the same big budgets that movies get, but they have plenty of room to grow and progress.

Where the Green Lantern only had an hour and a half to ruin childhoods, TV shows get a chance to be a little cheesy and have some lack in quality. They have a chance to respond to the criticisms and grow on what has been working.

The Batman TV series of the 1960s with Adam West was campy, cheesy and juvenile; however, it holds great memories in the hearts of many older Americans today. Scenes involving shark-repellent-bat-spray could be viewed as ridiculously stupid or hilarious — as it is meant to be.

Superheroes can be as serious as “The Dark Knight” or as light-hearted as Adam West. Although “The Flash” may not be going for any kind of intentional comedic value with some of its cheesier lines, it’s easy to forgive it and to not take its mistakes so seriously.

After seven X-men movies, a third Fantastic Four film on the way and multiple incarnations of Batman and Superman, comic fans of heroes like Wonder Woman, Flash, Deadpool and the Green Lantern have been left with either no live-action appearances or extremely disappointing ones. Fans are simply excited The Flash is getting a real shot at a live-action anything after years of Hollywood neglect.

Fans will look over terrible lines like “Lightning gave me abs?” for years, but it’s also important to draw in those who aren’t as familiar with the fastest man alive. If “Arrow” is any is any indication, there will be improvement as the show develops.

Although comic fans are willing to look over many mistakes in one sense, they are also known to be extremely critical in other circumstances. Remaining faithful to the original story and true the character’s themes and styles are key to capturing the large fan base that will carry the show until it gains more popularity.

Despite the poor dialogue, the cliché love triangle and the one-dimensional secondary characters, The Flash has remained faithful in spirit to the hardcore fans.

Opinion columnist Shane Brandt is a petroleum engineering senior and may be reached at [email protected]

But your last point is the very problem I have with The Flash so far… “Despite the poor dialogue, the cliché love triangle and the
one-dimensional secondary characters, The Flash has remained faithful in
spirit to the hardcore fans.”

The poor dialogue, the cliché love triangle and the
one-dimensional secondary characters! It’s getting really annoying, and I really, really want to love this show. It feels like the producers of Degrassi Junior High have put together a superhero show and are trying to make it work. Please, write some good dialogue and work out some interesting storylines as it’s very quickly losing ground.